Volume 3 March-April 2014 Number 2 GRANDMASTER MELITON C. GERONIMO, ON HIS 87th BIRTHDAY WHEELCHAIR BOUND YET STILL ABLE SIKARAN TALIBA© IS PUBLISHED BY THE SIKARAN PILIPINAS PUBLICATIONS. IT IS THE ONLY INTERNET NEWSPAPER DEDICATED TO THE SIKARAN PRACTITIONERS AROUND THE WORLD. THE IDEAS AND OPINIONS IN THE ARTICLES AND MANUSCRIPTS ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR / CONTRIBUTOR AND NOT NECESSARILY THE VIEWS OF THE PUBLISHER OF SIKARAN TALIBA OR THE EDITORS. THE SIKARAN TALIBA IS NOT A FORUM FOR GRIEVANCE. THE MANAGEMENT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO EDIT CONTRIBUTED MATERIALS FOR DEROGATORY AND DISPARAGING COMMENTS. ALL MATERIALS ARE THE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OF THE AUTHOR AND CANNOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY MANNER WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. NEITHER THE SIKARAN PILIPINAS PUBLICATIONS NOR THE MANAGEMENT OF SIKARAN TALIBA ASSUMES ANY RESPONSIBILITY IN THE MISUSE OR ABUSE OF ALL TECHNIQUES IN THIS NEWSPAPER. EDITORIAL OFFICE P.O.BOX 6332 ALAMEDA, CA 94501 [email protected] Supremo Meliton C. Geronimo Honorary Editor Emeritus Emmanuel es Querubin Editor in Chief Elpidio Seletaria, Jr. Managing Editor Meliton S. Geronimo, Jr. Editor-at-Large ERP Art Editor Philippine Correspondent Erlina Bartolata SIKARAN PILIPINAS PUBLICATIONS Republic of the Philippines Certificate of Copyright No. A 2009-102 Department of Trade and Industry Certificate of Registration 00706053 United States, Library of Congress Copyright Registration No. TXu 1-612-682 GRANDMASTER MELITON GERONIMO CELEBRATES 87th BIRTHDAY By: Meliton S. Geronimo, Jr. Chairman, World Sikaran Brotherhood of the Philippines Northern America Executive Council On March 10, 2014, Grandmaster Meliton C. Geronimo celebrated his 87th birthday. Taken together 87 is a number that has no special meaning. However taken separately, the numbers 8 and 7, represent the man that Grandmaster Meliton C. Geronimo really is. The number 8 is a symbol of infinity. It means totality of the universe and is associated with prosperity. The number 7 is a representation of completeness and perfection. Grandmaster Meliton C. Grandmaster Meliton Geronimo and his Geronimo is the only Filipino 10th Degree longtime Director for Research and Standards Red Belt in the martial arts awarded by Emmanuel Querubin. other Grandmasters from China, Japan, and Korea. His rank, 10th Degree Red Belt symbolizes completeness and perfection in the totality of the martial arts universe. Grandmaster Meliton C. Geronimo, with some senior students who celebrated with him. There was no big feast, unlike his 86th birthday, but there were the same senior students who helped celebrate his birthday. From left: Allan Villamor, Raulito Robles, Emmanuel Querubin, Grandmaster Meliton Geronimo, Ruel Zuniga, and Emily Samillano. Janet, Grandmaster Meliton Geronimo's daughter (standing with dark blouse) served a simple yet delectable lunch with her pancit with puso ng saging, Erlina's chicken hamonado and Emily's biko. She also served fruits from their farm, such as kaimito,chico, saging and langka. Grandmaster Meliton Geronimo and Emmanuel Querubin, reminiscing the good old days as Ruel Zuniga listens intently trying to absorb all the stories from as early as 1958. More than 50 years ago, Meliton Geronimo started systematizing, codifying, and organizing the techniques and maneuvers that make up Sikaran to the international martial art and sport it is today. He translated English and other foreign terminologies to the present universally accepted Filipino terms, not only in Sikaran but in several other Filipino special field of study. Several stories have been written about him. Various magazines featured him. The story of his life was also made into a film, with the melodramatic title "Mayor Latigo", tarring the veteran actor Eddie Garcia. Emmanuel Querubin, authored the first two books in Sikaran in his honor. Meliton Geronimo, was featured in the book "Founders, Leaders, and Masters, " The cast of the movie "Mayor Latigo." a book dedicated to who is who in the martial arts. The book published in the United States was authored by the late Ed Brown, master of the Chairo-kan Bushi Shindo. Brown, respected and admired Geronimo so much that when his wife died he came to the Philippines to marry Lilia Aboganda. Brown also chose to spend his remaining days in the Philippines until he passed away on December 24, 2013. From left: Raquel Geronimo, (wife of Meliton Geronimo, Jr.), Meliton Geronimo, Ed Brown, and Lilia Brown. MEANING OF THE COLOR OF THE MARTIAL ARTS BELT By: Emmanuel es Querubin The color of the belt in all martial arts originated with Jigoro Kano of the Kodokan Judo. There was a time in the history of the martial arts when the main purpose of the belt was to hold up the pants. In fact, in the oldest recorded martial arts, the Greek Pankration, did not even have any belt. In the Japanese martial arts, the secondary purpose of the belt was to designate the school or style of the art. With the organization of the Kodokan Judo Institute, it became necessary to demonstrate the level of the skill by an external means, hence the belt. The level of skill was divided into two classifications, the lower "grade," and the higher "rank." The "grade" had five steps, while the "rank" had ten degrees. Each unit was designated by the color of the belt. The first step designating the beginner is the white belt. It progresses to yellow, then green, then blue, and finally the brown belt. After the "grade," classification comes the "rank" designated as degree. The belt in the rank or degree classification is black. First degree to tenth degree wears a black belt. Depending on the school, for ceremonial purposes eight, and ninth degree black belt may also wear a red and white belt, and the tenth degree may wear a red belt. However, by now each art or each school has adopted several other colors with several various markings or symbols. There is a popular allegory about the color evolution of the martial arts belt. The beginner starts with a very clean, spotless white belt. The belt is never washed. Through long, hard training, the belt accumulates dirt and eventually turn yellow with time. With the dirt and exposure to time the color turns green. Further hard training and longer time gives the color the hue of blue. Through the years of training the color turns brown. More dirt accumulates and time causes the belt to turn black. After a lifetime of training the belt is now beaten and tattered and every serious martial artist wear the tattered black belt as a badge of honor. From the advent of Sikaran up to the 1950's, there was no belt classification. There was no external symbol to designate the level of skill, except the title hari (champion) which is given by a board after defeating a given number of opponents. When the Sikaran Brotherhood of the Philippines was organized, Meliton Geronimo adopted the colored belt system. Geronimo however, has modified the belt system several times, mainly for economic reasons. Instead of using different color belts, he decided that it would be more economical to just limit the color to two, white and black to designate "grade" or "rank." To indicate the level of skill was just a matter of adding stripes to the belt. Officially, the lower grade belt is called baytang or hakbang (step) and the higher rank belt is called antas (degree). The belt is called sagisag (symbol). White belt is called sagisag na puti and black belt is called sagisag na itim. There were some suggestions to differentiate the belt system for the males from the females. However, this sexist suggestion was not taken into consideration. If you are a black belt whether male or female if you are a black belt and must be able to stand behind the symbol of the black belt. Inter-gender contests, however, is still not allowed. There are clubs and schools, which use several different color belts. The reason they normally give is that changing the color of the belt gives incentive and inspires the student to train harder. To the commercial school it means added revenue. The World Sikaran Brotherhood of the Philippines has been lenient in the color of the lower grades, and even in the promotion to the next higher grade. The advance rank of the Black Belt is a different thing. Only black belt with the appropriate number of stripes to denote the antas is allowed. Article XIV, Section 1 of the Sikaran By-Laws provides the following: Section 1. WSBP Ranks and Belts a. Plain White Belt b. Third Class White Belt with 1 black stripe c. Second Class White Belt with 2 black stripes d. First Class White Belt with 3 black stripes e. Kahusayan (Brown Belt) f. Plain Black Belt g. First Degree Black Belt with 1 red stripe h. Second Degree Black Belt with 2 red stripes i. Third Degree Black Belt with 3 red stripes j. Fourth Degree Black Belt with 4 red stripes k. Fifth Degree Black Belt with 5 red stripes l. Sixth Degree Black Belt with 6 red stripes m. Seventh Degree Black Belt with 7 red stripes n. Eight Degree Black Belt with 8 red stripes o. Ninth Degree Red and White Belt p. Tenth Degree Red Belt (At the time of adoption of this By-Laws, only GM Meliton C. Geronimo holds this rank and belt) As a guideline, Section 3 of the same Article XIV, provides the time-in-grade for eligibility for promotion. a. Plain White Belt to 3rd Class White Belt Three (3) Months b. 3rd Class to 2nd Class White Belt Six (6) Months c. 2nd Class to 1st Class White Belt Six (6) Months d. 1st Class White Belt to Kahusayan Nine (9) Months e.